Butterflies
by Winter Sleep
Summary: RenAi AU/ Ai is the sole survivor from her village that was recently burnt-down. Ren is forced by his father to take care of her and monitor her progress. Will this unlikely love bloom or will it wilt away?
1. Unexpected News

**(A/N: I don't know where this story came from. Suddenly, it snapped into my mind while watching this anime that had nothing to do with Jigoku Shoujo… Anyway, this is an AU – alternate universe – fanfic, for your information. I think it's the first to be written on so yay… I guess... I'm actually a shounen-ai fan, what am I doing writing straight pairings? I don't know, but it seems nice at the moment. lol. I hope it stays that way. Remember to read and review for my motivation… I'm not too confident with this story and plotline and I need like, a lot to get me going…)**

**Title****: Butterflies**

**Chapter 1****: Unexpected News**

_Good morning. This is the news for today. An entire village along the west coast has been burnt down by unknown causes. It is suspected that it was caused by open burning gone wrong or a personal grudge against the village. Thirty seven have perished and a lone girl, thirteen year old Enma Ai, is the only survivor. Ai is currently being treated at the hospital for her second-degree burns and mental trauma._

'_We are trying our best to help her cope with the loss of her parents, her friends and her entire village. Fortunately, she had taken cover in an underground cellar of her playhouse during the whole ordeal. However, she has suffered burns as well. Only time will tell if she fully recovers from her loss.'_

'_Sir, who is to take care of her?'_

'_We will send her to a foster home for children who have endured trauma once she recovers. Only time will tell if she finds a family.'_

There was a small click of a remote control and the television screen immediately switched off, showing nothing but black. The old, worn-out TV let out a few crackling noises of static and soon silenced as a form lounged lazily on the couch. Littered with his outdoor jacket and a small hoversack filled with knick knacks, the young man stared up at the white plaster ceiling of his apartment, chewing on his lower lip. Arms folded behind his head, which rested upon a small red cushion, he sympathised with the young girl who was left without a family, without anyone that she knows from that isolated little village that was so cruelly burnt to the ground. A deep and long sigh slipped from his lips and he closed his eye, casting the sleeve of his jacket over his upper face and falling asleep, needing a nap from a hard day's work.

Awakening to the sound of his handphone high-pitched ring, the shrill tone echoing around the solitary living room, he stirred from his somewhat comfortable position on the couch and groaned in reluctance before groping over at the glass coffee table for the wretched thing. Barely opening his eyes, he roughly pressed the mobile phone to his ear after pressing a random button on the keypad. "This is Ren…" he slurred in a tired tone that could be mistaken for a drunkard's murmur. Honestly, he couldn't care less now, he had worked overtime last night, like hell he was going to snap out of his sleepy stupor for a mere phone call.

There was a small, exasperated tone from the other side and he immediately recognised it as his boss's. The woman expected more work from him now? What time was it… The black-haired male was more than willing to sue her if he didn't think it was an utter waste of money. But something she said forced his eyes open and caused him to spring into a sitting position, lips parted to let air in and out and his free hand grasping the back cushion of the sofa to prevent him from letting his thoughts take him away somewhere. Odd sounds came from him, stutters, mumbles and incoherent nonsense before he managed to wake himself up and spit out the first few words that came into his mind.

"I beg your pardon?"

How did it ever come to this?

That was the thought that spun round and round his head as he stood outside the hospital bedroom, peering in through the glass window beside the door, which curtains were left opened. The room was white, like all hospital rooms and even the curtains at the other side of the room were drawn, letting the light of day to spill in and illuminate every nook and cranny of the chamber. It almost blinded him, to say the least. In the middle was a small, single bed, the sides drawn up to prevent the patient from falling over while sleeping and on it was the sitting frame of a young girl. Long, black hair cascading over her green-patterned clothes provided by the hospital and abnormal, almost-crimson brown-red eyes gazing downwards at her own bandaged arms. Her skin was pale, sickly pale and had white bandages wrapped over and over on certain places. The blanket was drawn to her waist and she seemed to be sewing a piece of red cloth, a small plastic container of marbles set at the bedside table.

The room looked like any hospital room save for the get well-balloons, flowers and fruits that should be overloading the small table at the window. But the only thing placed at that table was a small snow-white vase with a singular red spider lily sitting in it. The girl seemed indifferent to the whole atmosphere and simply continued to sew the little piece of red cloth in her tiny hands.

Ren was left outside, hesitating on entering the room and introducing himself. What would he say to her? 'Hi, I am Ren, because my father owns the hospital and the government trusted him with you, I am to take care of you from now on. The part on news of you going to a foster home is all bull, you'll be living with me after you exit from the hospital. By the way, don't worry, I'm not working right now due to the fact that my dad told my boss to fire me, so I can spend more bonding time with you and snap you out of your trauma by my dad's orders.' Seriously, that was anything but a good idea right now, especially after losing everything she had in one night. He could only imagine the pain and suffering she was going through right this very moment… It was like a living Hell being like this… Forced away from your family and into the hustle and bustle of the city, away from the calm greenery and fresh air of the village. It must be hard… But she seems to be quite content, maybe it's just a façade. Traumatised children tend to be a little closed and locked-up emotionally…

A small gasp left his lips and he faltered a little, forced to take a small step back when he noticed those brown-red eyes on him, watching him, piercing into his very soul. Apparently, she had noticed him standing there. Who wouldn't notice a young man sanding outside your window with his hands in his pockets and eyes staring at you. She probably thought of him as a pervert, he held back a groan and looked up and down the corridor he was in. No one on the right… No one on the left… Only white tiles, white walls, white ceilings with white fluorescent lights… Wow, that was a surprise… Whiteness in a hospital…

Sucking in and pushing out a few lungfuls of disinfectant-hinting air, he stepped to the door, noticing that her wide eyes never left him and grasped the metal doorknob. It was cold, uncomfortably cold… he noted down before turning it slowly, the door opening without creaking and he walked into the room.

**(A/N: Remember to read and review! Encouragement and support, please!)**


	2. Broken Silence

**(A/N: Thank you, everybody for your support in helping me with this second chapter. It really encouraged me that there were a lot of RenAi lovers out there. I hope you enjoy this chapter. I haven't been writing for awhile, so yeah. I hope for a bigger amount of reviews this time ^^. Much thanks!)**

**Title****: Butterflies**

**Chapter 2****: Broken Silence**

It's been three days now…

The little girl in the room barely glanced up from the little piece of crimson cloth in her tender hands, her fingers still at work with the needle and thread. Ebony black locks cascading onto the white sheets, she shifted her legs around underneath the covers, uncomfortable by the constant shifting. Soft petal pink lips neither smiling nor frowning, she continued to sew, her visitor unsure of what was it that she was making. The man at the door closed it behind him, the soft click barely reaching his ears as he walked over to the white chair by her bedside, a plastic bag in his hand. "Hey, there," he greeted her, not receiving any reply from the silent child on the bed, biting his lower lip as he plopped down onto his usual seat. "I brought you something from the outside world for once. Hospital food is icky, isn't it?" The young male was slightly disheartened when once again, he was ignored by the passive girl. It had been like this since the day he walked through the room door for the first time.

Ren would be greeted by silence and her red eyes and then, he would take his seat beside the bed. The quietness would settle in once more and occasionally, he would make fruitless attempts to strike up conversation, rewarded only with her curious gaze and nothing more. Then, her stare would slowly dip down to the sewing in her hands and the man would be ignored. He hadn't brought up the subject of her village yet, wanting to spare her the pain and grief, but judging by the way she emotionlessly lived out her days in the hospital room, the man was starting to doubt that she even felt emotion. It was a cruel thing to assume, but you couldn't help but wonder… whether she was even human sometimes…

After awhile, he had pulled out the small flap from the side of he bed and was loading up the little plastic containers of food onto the little white table. "I didn't know what you like, so I just bought what I thought would be good for a growing girl," he attempted to sound cheerful, but his voice only sounded robotic to him. The nervous laugh that followed even sent shivers down his spine. Feeling the overwhelming urge to just give up, he was snapped back to reality when the little girl reached over to the table at her bedside, placing down the piece of cloth, the needle neatly slipped into a corner of the sewing. Picking up the plastic container, she looked at the contents curiously, popping open the clear box and picking up a pair of wooden chopsticks. Ren watched intently as she gave the fried noodles a small prod, somewhat anxious as she pinched a small bit of the food and dipped her head, slipping a few strands of the noodles into her mouth.

"It's okay," was the tiny whisper that seemed to echo in the man's ear, his attention never leaving Ai as he watched her eat. It was weird, he had been visiting her in this room for the past few days and only now has she uttered a word to him. He didn't know what was going through her head and he probably never will but he hoped that she didn't hate him for suddenly appearing in her life like this. "A little dry…" was the second sentence she murmured and she was rewarded with a small laugh from her visitor, her brown-red optics raising to glance at him as she ate. "Sorry, it took me awhile to reach here, I walked all the way since I missed the bus," he explained, running a hand through his black hair, his fringe tickling his nose as he shifted his jet black strands. Her oddly-coloured eyes fell back to the noodles and in a few minutes the container was empty.

Suddenly recalling buying her a drink, Ren hurriedly plunged his hands into the plastic bag which was still sitting on his lap. He took out a paper cup with a single straw sticking out of it and placed it on the table for her to take. Giving her an apologetic look as her little hands darted forwards to grab the cup, he left the girl to sip at the drink thirstily, the deprived gulps loud as she drank. Finally drawing back from the cup, she took in a few deep breaths. Pressing her back against the bedpost, her head of long, black hair tilted upwards to gaze at the ceiling, she parted her lips to let the air fill her lungs. Once again, there was silence.

Taking this as a sign that nothing more was expected from him, Ren reclined on the small chair uncomfortably, his longs legs stretched out before him and his neck upon the backrest of his seat. He slouched, desperate for some comfort in this white, cold room. There wasn't much around; empty cupboards, a water heater, some instant coffee and sugarless sweetener. The only thing that always merited his attention was the curious little white vase on the table beside the window, serving as the home for a bloomed red spider lily. It didn't seem as a normal gift for a sick person and no other visitors had entered Ai's room… So why was this odd flower in here? It stuck out like a sore thumb among the blinding whiteness of the hospital. Chewing on his lower lip, Ren attempted to sit up straight, in hopes that he would feel more restful this way but to no avail. Simply giving up, he stood up from the plastic chair, making a small scraping noise on the tiled floor.

"Ren."

It sounded more like a wind chime in the breeze than an actual voice and the man stopped in his tracks. He would have mistaken it for something else if he hadn't heard her before. Brushing his sneakers against the hard floor, he turned around, a hand shoved into his pocket and the other hung limply at his side, his gaze questioning as he looked over to the girl dressed in the lime green hospital clothes. His eyes met the round, brown-red ones of hers, Ai now sitting up and her hands folded over her lap, her delicate fingers not working with the needle but simply sitting upon one another, the occasional fidget causing Ren's stare to dart to her pale and bandaged digits. The silence was once more hanging in the air but Ren didn't grow anxious as it lingered; he had gotten quite used to the company of the quietness during these past few days.

His curiosity grew as he watched her hands fidget awkwardly, those claret orbs diverted to the white sheets splayed out before her and her lower lip sucked into her mouth, the uncertainty that radiated from here could be picked up easily. Standing opposite of her unsure form, Ren tried to read her actions, to try and pick up bits and pieces of her through her body language. So far, he wasn't getting any further than 'internal struggle to tell him something'. Wishing that he was much better at deciphering her, the one-eyed man simply swung his leg back and forth, trying to get rid of the unease in his gut.

"Are you leaving?"

She finally said something though he could pick up the small bit of uncertainty as well as… Fear? Disappointment? Ren wasn't sure.

He shook his head.

Once again, there was a pause between his reply and hers and now, even Ai was beginning to feel the nip of self-consciousness as her fingers continued to fidget away. She released her flushed lower lip, having been chewing on it the entire time, causing the male to raise an eyebrow. What was it that she wanted to tell him? He couldn't tell.

"I… I would like to take a small walk…" she began after awhile, stuttering out the first few words, as if afraid of the rejection that might come her way. Almost sadly, she glanced over at the folded wheelchair by the side of her bed, tucked away at a dark corner of the room. Hoping that her new caretaker would get the message, she looked over to him, expecting an answer from the older man. "Just a small walk… Please," Ai pressed. Ren felt guilty at listening to her talk to him like this. It was almost as if she thought of him as a demon that would lash out and eat her up if she made a wrong move. He simply stared at her with his singular eye, the information taking awhile to sink in. The little girl seemed to take this as a form of rejection and her gaze was once more on the sheets. Avoiding eye contact as she reached over for her sewing, her ears perked upon hearing the loud odd click that echoed around the silent hospital room. Her hand faltered over the needle and cloth, her eyes looking towards the now unfolded wheelchair, examining it enquiringly.

Innocently, she looked up at him, resembling more of a rabbit as she observed her guardian, hands back on her lap and her bandaged legs shifting about beneath the blankets.

Offering her a gentle smile, he grasped the handles on the chair. "Come on then," he coaxed.


End file.
